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Restoring the Old Shore Power Cordby Bert Vermeer

British Columbia winter months are cool and damp with short days, rain, and minimal sunshine. Having a heat source on board is essential to keep the mildew at bay and so we keep Natasha, our 1978 Islander Bahama 30, plugged in all winter. For the past 15 years, our yellow Marinco shore power cord has been subjected to everything the weather and dock can throw at it. Bright yellow and shiny when purchased, it had gotten dirty and sticky to the touch, not something I particularly wanted to handle.

I tried every marine-focused vinyl cleaner available, along with chemical and abrasive cleaners from the local hardware store. None were effective. And with 50 feet of cord to clean, I needed something effective.

Enter acetone. I donned some rubber gloves (the industrial type, not the disposable type, as acetone will dissolve thin vinyl or rubber) and gathered a bunch of small rags. I’d soak a rag in acetone and wipe a short section of cord clean before the acetone could evaporate. Multiple rags and multiple soakings made short work of all 50 feet of cord. This left the cord surface clean, but dry and dull looking, open to any contaminate. To protect the surface, I applied 3M Ultra Performance Paste Wax over the entire length, buffing it to a shine when the wax dried. The cord looks and feels like new with a minimum of time and expense.

Bert Vermeer and his wife, Carey, live in a sailor’s paradise. They have been sailing the coast of British Columbia for more than 30 years. Natasha is their fourth boat (following a Balboa 20, an O’Day 25, and another Islander Bahama 30). Bert tends to rebuild his boats from the keel up. Now, as a retired police officer, he also maintains and repairs boats for several non-resident owners.

Good Old Boat Videos

Check out our latest videos on the Good Old BoatYouTube channel! We're now adding videos regularly. Some videos are supplements to articles in Good Old Boat and The Dogwatch, others will stand alone. In the our November/December 2018 issue, for example, read Glen Swanson's article about reclaiming his deck with reclaimed teak, and then watch a video in which we are taken aboard Glen's Bandholm 26, Rita, along with his wife, Lene, and their dog for a boisterous sail on a gray, squally day on the Baltic Sea. We love this 4-minute movie because it's like being in the cockpit with them. It's a added perspective we hope you enjoy. Be sure to watch!

GOB in Annapolis

As we do every Columbus Day weekend, we made a splash at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. The Good Old Boat crew began arriving the evening of Tuesday, October 2. On Wednesday we began unloading our pallets that contained the pieces of our booth and nearly 3,000 magazines that we would hand out to show-goers. On Thursday, the gates opened at 10:00 a.m. and we were ready.

This show is great. Each year we look forward to seeing and hanging with each other; as we all work from home, the sailboat show is usually the only time we get together in person. We look forward to meeting and seeing readers and contributors. We love handing the magazine to a passer-by who hasn’t heard of us and then seeing their interest as they flip through the pages. And we look forward to seeing friends in the industry, the folks from Cruising World and SAILand others.

We usually take turns manning the booth, usually at least 3 of us at a time, splitting off in turn for a break or to grab lunch. Each day, when the horn blows and the show is over, that’s when we all unwind and get ready for the following day. Karla usually brings some wine and chocolate to our booth at this time.

Thursday is a VIP day, but then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are hopping, in contrast. Monday is usually a bit slower and most exhibitors spend the last half of Monday slowly breaking booths down and getting ready to head home.